English 250—Mini Research Essay, 25% of final course grade
Length: 750 words/3 pages typed, double-spaced
Write a documented, persuasive research essay based on
at least one primary source (one picture book, one early reader, one chapter book or one novel by ONE author. DO NOT CHOOSE a book written primarily for adults such as To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984, Animal Farm, Of Mice and Men, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, etc. Check with me if you are not sure. )
and at least two secondary sources (articles or chapters about the literary work).
Final draft must be submitted with works cited entries and web site addresses provided on a works cited page.
You must have
one brief quotation from your primary source
and one brief quotation from each secondary source.
Do not use long quotations in this short paper. Summarize or paraphrase instead.
1. Topic: Banned and challenged books.
Research and write about why one children’s book is on the ALA Banned and Challenged Book List and explain your position on it. Read at least two articles from a reputable web site discussing this issue. You must use examples/evidence/quotations, etc. from at least ONE primary source (literary work) and from TWO secondary sources (articles about the literary work).
Example research question:
Why would some parents demand that a public middle school remove The Giver by Lois Lowry (OR The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis) from the middle school library? Should this book be removed or should middle school students be allowed to read it? Explain your position using logic and reasoning, your own knowledge and opinions, and supporting evidence from the primary and secondary sources.
Here are the lists from the American Library Association
Lists of frequently challenged children’s books—
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/childrensbooks
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/YAbooks
Here are some good secondary sources that you may use in Essay 2:
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/banned-books-qa
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/freedomreadstatement
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/censorship
https://www.procon.org/headlines/banned-books-top-3-pros-and-cons/(has bibliography at end)
Articles about The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963
https://www.deseret.com/2001/4/30/19583610/why-book-about-the-watsons-was-banned-in-nebo-is-puzzling
Which one of the options appeals to you? Which option are you choosing for Essay 2?
Topic one is the topic that sounds most appealing to me, so I will be doing topic one.
Why?
I am choosing topic one because there are quite a few banned and challenged children’s books that I would like to write about.
What will be your primary source (one picture book, one chapter book, one middle-grade novel, or one young adult novel)? Give the title and author.
My primary source will be Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
Why are you choosing this primary source?
I am choosing this primary source because it is the book and I think it will be helpful to use this as my primary source since my paper is going to be on this book
How will you find secondary sources (articles or videos) about the primary source? Will you use some of the suggested sources on the assignment sheet? Will you search in some of the online PVCC databases? Will you do a broad online search using search engines? What search terms or key words will you use on the search engine? How will you know if your sources are credible or legitimate?
To find secondary sources I will use the PVCC databases. For broad online searches I will look for information on why this book is challenged. Keywords that I use will be, Challenged books, and Captain Underpants. I will know if they are legit based on evidence.
If you already have some sources, explain how you found them, where you found them, and briefly describe them. Provide a title if you have one.
I do not have a source yet.
